Sunday, 23 January 2011

Friday, 21 January 2011

The latest picture on the Fas et Patria website (shops at Old Coulsdon - in last weeks blog note below this one) is from the Frith collection and was taken in c 1955, five years before I first ventured up the hill to Purley GS. I don't remember luncheons being served in the shop on the corner but then nothing would have persuaded me to forgo Mrs Smith's 1/- spam fritters and semolina, with Mr Stachack at the head of the table in the Hall! The shop was however a source of Waggon Wheels in those pre-Jamie Oliver days of old. On my last visit, it was good to see the shop more or less as it was 55 years ago.

The two telephone boxes in the picture housed phones out of the dark ages, the area being covered by the Downlands exchange which remained resolutely manual until 1966-67. One box had a button which could be pressed in the event of an emergency in order to be connected direct to the emergency services rather than the exchange at the bottom of Downlands Road. One nameless student tried this once to report a 'fire' at the school, and was required afterwards to explain to Dr Birchall why a fire engine (or two) suddenly raced up the drive and screeched to a halt outside his study. The school's phone number was incidentally Downland 532, but then I'm sure every good Old Boy knew that as much as the words of Hymn 333, Lord Dismiss us with Thy Blessing!

Tuesday, 11 January 2011

DGS was on stage about to address the masses, but couldn't get started because someone in the hall was talking over him. After two or three attempts he let rip with, "Every time I open my mouth, some idiot speaks!"